Friday, September 12, 2014

How To Breathe

I know it sounds strange to write a how-to for something your body does all by itself without really needing input, but an interesting thing happens when we start to feel stress, we stop taking normal breaths and start breathing really shallow, and it is mostly focused in the upper chest. When we actually take a moment to stop and breathe, it allows our nervous system to go from its fight/flight response to its happier rest/digest mode. It gives the mind an opportunity to really assess the situation and realize you aren't in imminent danger (unless of course you are, in which case, breathing may not be your first choice of actions to take!) this allows the body to follow suit, and stop releasing stress induced hormones, and allow the body's natural process to continue to work in an optimal way.

quick and easy breathing techniques:
 **please note that deep breathing can lead to dizziness - if you feel dizzy at any point, simply stop and let your breathing return to normal until the feeling passes.
You can inhale and exhale through either your nose or mouth - which ever is more comfortable for you.

3 part breath
1-inhale into the belly - focus on pushing your belly out as far as it can comfortably go and then naturally let yourself exhale when your belly feels full
2- inhale into your rib cage - place your hands on the sides of your ribs and focus on pushing them away from your body, again allowing yourself to gently and naturally exhale
3- inhale into the top of your chest - place your hand on your sternum (right in the top center part of your chest) and focus on lifting your hand/chest upwards, again exhaling easily and naturally.
Then combine all three parts together - inhale into the belly, then the ribs, then the chest all in one big deep breath. Repeat 3-5 times

Relaxation Breath
Sit in a comfortable position. Take 3-5 deep breaths and on each exhale think about (and allow) your body to relax into the chair you are sitting on, you can also do this in bed before you go to sleep.
You can also focus your awareness on different parts of your body with each breath - inhale while focusing on your legs, and as you exhale feel the muscles in your legs relax etc., also great if you have an area of your body that is in pain, you can breathe the whole time focusing on that area's relaxation and pain reduction.

Counting Breath
Great for if you are feeling overwhelmed, really angry or really stressed. This helps to focus the mind by giving it something to do instead of over thinking about what is stressing you out. Inhale for a count of 4, hold your breath for a count of 4, exhale for a count of 4. You can change the count # to begin always start with a lower number, as you practice this you can gradually increase it as you feel comfortable.

Energy Breath
This is great for releasing negative energy and bringing in positive energy. Close your eyes, as you inhale imagine a bright white light coming into your body, as you exhale allow any negative energy to leave your body - you can imagine it however you like, smoke, butterflies, a color. As you continue, on your inhalations picture this white light going through your body, your bones, muscles, cells, into your energy system and then at the end, creating a protective bubble around you that keeps light energy in, and any energy you don't want, out.

Try different breaths out and see which one(s) resonate with you! These are also great to help you get to sleep, or to start your meditation practice (the Energy Breath can be a meditation all on its own!)

Wishing you Happy Breathing!!

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